UNICEF alerts on rising number of children out of school in South West
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
There is a rising number of children out of school in the South West, alerts United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), citing a dropout rate of between 8 and 15 per cent in a zone that has enjoyed free education since the days of Obafemi Awolowo, whose population is supposed to priorioritise the education of their children.
Awolowo introduced free education in 1955 as Premier of Western Region which comprised the current six South Western states – Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, and Oyo – and the then-Mid West, now splintered into Edo and Delta states.
UNICEF Education Specialist Azuka Menkiti disclosed at a regional stakeholders’ meeting on out-of-school children retention, transition, and completion models held in Ibadan.
She explained the completion rates for children and adolescents aged 10 to 18 in primary school is 92 per cent and in secondary school 85 per cent, and warned the shortfall could severely impact the education sector in the zone and countrywide if full retention and completion are not achieved.
“This is a two-day regional meeting for the South West zone of Nigeria. UNICEF is working to support states in enhancing retention, transition, and completion of secondary education for adolescents,” Menkiti said.
“This effort builds on about 10 years of intervention in girls’ education, which has demonstrated successful, scalable interventions to bring girls to school and keep them there.
“UNICEF is supporting states to identify and address the factors driving dropout rates among adolescents.
Different perspectives of out-of-school children
“When we talk about out-of-school children, we look at it from different perspectives: those who have never enrolled in school, those likely not to enrol, and those who have dropped out.
“We are particularly focused on adolescents at risk of dropping out or not completing secondary education, especially in South Western states where enrollment rates are high but retention, transition, and completion rates need improvement.
“At this meeting, we have commissioners, SUBEB chairmen, permanent directors, and secretaries from various South West states, who have come together to review successful intervention models and adapt them to their state contexts.
“We are advocating for these states to commit to ensuring adequate funding for secondary education and to develop credible data to support advocacy efforts for improving secondary education.
“For UNICEF, our work in education is focused on three core areas: system strengthening, expanding access to education, and supporting states in creating quality learning opportunities for children and adolescents.
“In terms of system strengthening, we are emphasising evidence generation. To effectively advocate for support, states need credible data.
“We are also supporting states in developing plans and policies to create opportunities for children to transition to and complete secondary education.
“In terms of access, we are working with community structures, religious leaders, and others to address social norms that keep children out of school.”
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